Swine flu. Bird flu. The media has everyone worrying about epidemics and pandemics. Yet there is nothing said about one of the great communicable diseases of all time: the plague. The Black Death. No, it is not extinct. There are new cases of plague in the United States every year, totaling over 400 cases since 1950.

Six years ago this month, we walked out of a Florida adoption agency completely unaware how deeply our life would be impacted and changed. On that day, our son was doubtless saved from a condemned life that would have never provided enough emotional or intellectual stimulation, structure, regular routines and pathetically little in the way of nutrition for his body or soul.

I’ve never been one to need people to “get me”. It’s one of my quirky character traits that no doubt keep me strong in my faith in Christ. I have to say, though, when it came down to my son and having to deal with a multitude of “professionals” (yes, I’m using that term very loosely), I have finally found someone who “gets it”, “gets” me.

Doesn’t this Jeff Jones painting look fresh, wholesome – great country air, fresh sunshine, rich green grass thriving with nutrients, crawling with good, juicy bugs enjoyed by the free-range poultry, basking in the glow of the Good Country Life, just the way the good Lord intended? It’s the idyllic picture, embedded in our brains by expensive advertising campaigns funded by food processors and factory farms. They’ve trained us to feel good about eating their product with claims it is, “lean! plump! juicy!” – an item we feel good about feeding our family. But for the majority of chickens, their lives stand in stark contrast to their country cousins, for theirs is one of misery, from beginning to end. The answer isn’t to become a vegetarian, but rather, to become better informed about our food – how it’s raised, and yes, even how it is killed. And inbetween life and death, there are many issues that directly relate to us, such as the Bird Flu Virus, H5N1, receiving so much media attention. The attached article is a thoughtful, provocative piece, raising good points as to why H5N1 is the least of our problems and, more to the point, why H5N1 shouldn’t cause us fear. – Sharon

The last year has been intensely difficult with regards to our son’s health. With the amount of research and investigating I’ve done, it’s left little time for self, little time for “fun”. In fact, if someone were to tell me to “take the afternoon – go have fun”, I’d either crawl into bed for a quiet nap or head straight back to my computer for more research. I don’t feel like fun – not until this is more settled. So in the meantime, I research and once in awhile there are things I find I can do – like installing research-backed AirFree purifiers which incinerate mold and mildew.

For other things I can do, Great Plains Laboratory has tests which may help determine some of the underlying causes of our son’s “behavior” which, at times, has appeared to be in the psychosis realm. I am no longer concerned that he may be schizophrenic, BUT, I am convinced his psychosis “events” were real. The real question now is, is it indicative of a permanent condition OR was it stress-related due to his Autistic inclination towards high anxiety OR could it possibly be from something else – like mold. -Sharon